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Fencing is a sport
where your child must rely entirely on their individual skills, talent
and abilities to be successful. However, he/she will be working
together as a team to win the day's match. So you have the
benefits of individual successes as well as team participation.
What does my child
learn from Fencing?
- It allows them to develop a
sense of responsibility to themselves and others.
- It will build self-confidence
and self-esteem.
- They will learn fair play and
good sportsmanship.
- Fencers learn to set and meet
long term goals.
- Fencing improves
eye-hand coordination and
increases reaction time.
- Fencing is one of the few
sports in which boys and girls compete on equal terms against each
other.
- Fencing develops friendships.
- Fencing is a
life-long sport that helps to keep you fit.
- Fencing is a all year long
activity.
- Fencing helps to develop
decision making abilities .
Are there different
types of fencing styles?
Fencing features three levels that
are categorized by the type of weapon used: Foil, Epee and
Sabre. Each weapon has its own character. The Sabre is
the fastest and most aggressive while the Epee is slowest and requires
most patience. Whereas, the foil is in between the other two and
attracts the fencer who likes to use both aggression and patience.
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Epee
Fencing (A)
The epée is
about three feet long and weighs around one and a half pounds. This
sword is the heaviest of the three weapons. It has a
stiff, v-shaped blade and a
large
bell guard for protecting the hand.
In epee, points are also scored with the tip of the
blade but the
difference is any part of the body, head, torso, arms, legs, or feet,
become the target.
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Saber Fencing (B)
Saber fencing is the most physical type of fencing.
People who practice this type of
fencing
tend to be extremely agile and have very creative moves. The target, in this form of fencing, is anywhere above the opponent's
waist. Points can be scored with the tip or the sides of the
blade. Sabers have a
light, flat blade as well as a knuckle guard. |
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Foil Fencing (C)
A foil is the most
common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and it is what is
usually used for basic classes. Traditionally, the foil is a beginners
teaching weapon because it incorporates all the basic elements of
fencing; it is the most technical form of fencing; and it requires the
most legwork. The foil is a light, flexible weapon with a blunted
point. It weighs around a pound and most blades are about 36 inches
long. Foils
do come in shorter lengths for children. In
foil fencing, scoring is done with only the tip of the
blade. The target is restricted to the torso of the
opponent. |
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This is all regulated by the
United States Fencing Association (USFA) which governs the physical
characteristics of the weapon as well as the legal techniques that may
be used. A USFA-style fencing
match is called a bout and it takes place on a
6 foot by 40 foot
strip. The fencers may not step off and touches are recorded by an
electronic scoring device.
Fencers wear protective gear on their
bodies and faces at all times. The object of the sport is to earn points
by scoring touches within the target area.
Each bout consist of three
rounds of three minutes each, with one minute between rounds. The winner
is the fencer who has scored 15 points. If the
time runs out before someone has 15 points then the fencer with the most
points wins. If they reach nine minutes and the score is tied,
then a minute of sudden-death is added. Prior to the sudden-death, lots
are drawn to decide who will be the winner if nobody scores
Individual fencers add up their points to get an overall team score. |
